Squid Savior

My after work activities placed me close to Eataly last night, so I popped in to pick up a protein for dinner.  I decided to go with squid because it was late and I knew that would cook up quickly.  If you want a simple and tasty meal, listen closely, my friends. 

When it comes to squid, I like a mixture of the bodies and tentacles, but if all those arms freak you out, go with just the bodies.  Cut the bodies into rings and leave the tentacles whole and throw them into a pan with olive oil, lots of garlic, and red pepper flakes to taste (I like a good amount, especially if you add tomato sauce).  While you're cutting/sauteing, boil up some pasta, preferably spaghetti or squid ink linguine.  You could either leave the squid as is and toss with the pasta with olive oil, salt, and pepper (if you're going for an aglio e olio vibe) or add a little pasta sauce to the pan and then toss in the pasta.  I was in a tomato-y mood, so that was the direction I took last night.  I mentioned I like spaghetti with this dish, but I had ziti on hand and it still worked.

This dish is ready in minutes.  Seriously, it's so easy and whenever squid is involved, people are impressed.  Even the fried calamari at TGI Friday's makes people go wild - imagine what homemade squid would do for your guests.  The best part is that squid is actually pretty cheap.  For only about $7/lb, you can get a lot of calamari for your cash.   

Served with fresh mortadella and mozzarella focaccia from Eataly